Social media expert, bookworm & proud horse girl. I help savvy business owners confidently show up on social and ditch their IG anxiety for good.
As usual, I was brainstorming at the kitchen table, bouncing ideas off my dad. Ever the experimenter, he loves to chase down whatever idea I have – no matter how crazy it might seem – and set his incredibly intelligent mind to the task.
But I have to say, this one had us stumped. I was getting the ball rolling on my business but I had no idea what to call it. And I couldn’t get an LLC, a website, social media handles, or anything important without knowing what its name would be. All the ones that came to mind were already taken – and I was struggling to get creative.
Until my dad thought of my initials: ABC. (Well, technically they’re ACB, but close enough). And from that came the idea of “making social media as easy as 1, 2, 3.” A little cheesy? Maybe, but it perfectly described my goal with my business.
Once I knew what my business would be called, I set about finding the right help to get it off the ground. I count myself so lucky to have found Ashli Pollard on Instagram because it led to me joining Square 1 Accelerator – basically, the most comprehensive how-to course on starting your business combined with an epic community (that continues to support me, and them, to this day!) There’s a lot of coaches on Instagram selling courses that – let’s face it – are a lot of fluff. Ashli cuts through all of that bullshit and gives you exactly what you need to succeed. I started Square 1 Accelerator in February and that set my business on a much different trajectory than if I had tried to do it on my own.
During Square 1, I filed for my LLC and bought contracts to get my business set up legally. I also got myself my domain, my google workspace email, and some other tools like Flo Desk for email marketing. Beyond the admin, I outlined what my services would be & their pricing and started to plan out what my business would look like over the next year – guided the whole time by Ashli, whose advice was invaluable.
But while Square 1 Accelerator gave me all the tools to do everything myself, I am a busy, busy person. Like, my to do list is 2 pages long some days busy. I’m a college student, full time athlete, and running my own business (in addition to being a skincare influencer and coach). I made the decision that while I could do certain things for my business myself, I was better off outsourcing. Granted, I had the financial privilege to be able to do so and was very lucky to have that option.
I hired a website designer (Danielle from Create with Danielle), a copywriter (Kaili from Kaptivate Content Services – an absolute gem and incredible person/team to work with), and Jama, a branding photographer, because my perfectionist type-A self likes everything to be done right the first time. Many people preach messy action – and I do too! It’s important to jump sometimes without having everything totally figured out. However, because of limits on my time, I decided I would rather spend the money to get it done well once than have to spend the money later and undo what I did messily. (But that’s my personal preference)
After “graduating” from Square 1 Accelerator I had the foundations of my business outlined and got to work on working in my business. I started focusing heavily on my social media (predominantly Instagram, although I did try out Tik Tok!) and experimented with email marketing. I joined Ashli’s membership to stay in touch with the amazing people I met during the program. I focused a lot on education, connection, and trying out new things.
And then in June, two months after Square 1 ended, I booked my first client! I now have two clients on my roster – one monthly management account and one coaching client – and am looking forward to adding more as ABC SMM expands.
This business began at the kitchen table from my initials and has grown into what will be my full-time job after college graduation. And I’m so excited.
READ THE TOP POST
PERSONAL
MARKETING
BUSINESS
INSTAGRAM TIPS
explore the blog
Social media expert, bookworm & proud horse girl. I help savvy business owners confidently show up on social and ditch their IG anxiety for good.
Hi, I'm amber!
Drop your email below to receive my weekly newsletter and get access to exclusive social media tips, lessons from being a social media manager, and special offers (no spam, ever!)
Want more social media magic?
ABC Social Media Management® is a Florida-based social media management company serving female entrepreneurs worldwide through comprehensive management and strategy services.